Title: New book showcases Levy County's rich past
Author: Kellie Parkin
Publisher: Chiefland Citizen
Date: 12/4/09
People interested in the history of Levy County will find over 200 images documenting the life of early settlers in a new book from Arcadia Publishing.
Local author and artist Carolyn Cohens explores the area's rich history through photographs in her new book Images of America: Levy County.
Filled with pictures and brief profiles of Levy County's early settlers, the book depicts people utilizing the land by farming, hunting and fishing. The images provide a strong documentation of the fashions, working conditions and architecture of yesteryear.
The book is organized in five sections: an introduction and four chapters. The brief introduction focuses on Levy's pioneers who worked in the turpentine, farming, railroad, livestock and timber industries, as well as life in the cities and towns of Chiefland, Cedar Key, Williston, Bronson, and Gulf Hammock.
Cohens dedicates the book to "the founders, the builders, the ones who worked hard, and those who saw the great potential in this land that is now Levy County." She writes that "Levy County is a great place to visit and a wonderful place to live" where one can find "unspoiled Southern charm."
The book contains a rich repository of undated photographs that would benefit from further historical investigation. Sprinkled among the many historic images are photographs taken more recently. The book's non-chronological order makes for a surprise each time the page is turned.
Cohens' hometown of Chiefland is featured prominently. The county's largest city composes the first chapter in its entirety and appears throughout the remaining three chapters which focus on Landmarks, Small Towns and Communities, and Levy County Works.
Elvis Presley fans will find a picture of the star during production of Follow that Dream in Inglis.
Lovers of architecture will enjoy photographs of structures no longer part of Levy's scenery, such as buildings standing in downtown Chiefland before the streets were paved and Sumner's Cypress Station store. Artifacts from the past, a kerosene lamp, a coal-heated iron, washboards, a ringer, a water pump, a wash pot and a cane grinder, are also pictured.
A Williston peanut farmer working a horse-drawn plow, two young boys gathering watermelons in Chiefland, and laborers repairing the railroad tracks outside of Otter Creek illustrate the hard work and dedication that Levy was built upon.
Cohen works with the Levy County Courthouse each February to provide a historical photographic display for Black History Month, which celebrates the contributions made by the county's African-American residents. Cohen has also illustrated the books Out of the Past a Noble Leader and The Origination of the Black Man.
Images of America: Levy County, available at local retailers and online bookstores, makes a nice companion to Cohen's previous work Black America Series: Levy County.
Title: Bookmarks
Author: Ankita Rao
Publisher: The Gainesville Sun
Date: 12/1/09
Neighboring Levy County, home of Cedar Key and the Watermelon Festival, comes alive in "Levy County" by Carolyn Cohens.
The book is part of the "Images of America" series by Arcadia Publishing, aimed at celebrating individual communities across the country through archival photographs and history.
"Levy County" features historic images, beginning with its founding in 1845, and includes aged family photos, leaders, budding businesses and even a visit by Elvis Presley.
Hunting, fishing, festivals and the underwater caves of Manatee Springs Park also are included in the collection.
Cohens, a native and resident of Levy County, is a member of the University of Florida Overall Extension board and guide at the Chiefland Train Depot Museum.
A self-taught artist, she has illustrated the books "Out of the Past a Noble Leader" and "The Origination of the Black Man." Cohens shares her artistic skills with the Alachua County School volunteer program.
"Levy County" is available in area bookstores and online through Arcadia Publishing.
